There has been a tragic rise in the number of household pets being poisoned by e-cigarettes.

Figures compiled by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS), showed the number of pets poisoned by biting or chewing the e-cigarettes or their refills in 2016 was 113.

This was up from 17 in 2015.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is warning animal lovers that e-cigarettes could potentially kill their pets with even relatively small doses of nicotine liquid having the potiential to cause harm or death.

BVA president Gudrun Ravetz said: “It is important to remember that e-cigarettes and refills can easily contain sufficient quantities of nicotine to kill a small animal very quickly.

“If pet owners use e-cigarettes, we’d recommend storing all equipment safely out of reach of their pet.